Factora wins Supplier Excellence Award

Premier Foods brands are found in an impressive 95% of British households. Some have been part of UK life for over a century.

Problem

Premier Foods knew they could be achieving better performance at their 6 locations across the country. But with their aging machinery, despite ongoing efforts, they were having no luck in identifying what worked and what didn’t.

“What we found out, before Factora came,” says Karl Smith, Factory General Manager, “was that we couldn’t get to the nitty-gritty of what was causing issues.”

Solution

Premier called in Factora to begin the journey to Smart Manufacturing – at, originally, one site. Cultural change was pivotal to project success. Operator by operator, Factora won Premier employees over – particularly when the first project paid off visibly and handsomely. Says Christian French, Senior Process Engineer and early adopter: “What Factora’s done for me is to put some proper science behind the processes, and get rid of all the myths and legends … so we’re dealing in data-driven fact.”

Results

“With Factora, we get key insights into key processes,” says Karl Smith. “Water activity, line speed, roller speed, heat, all that great stuff. Now we understand what levers to pull to ensure that we stay in control consistently. Our yields are very, very good, it’s saving us money, and we’re producing consistent quality food.”